Wired Equivalent Privacy, commonly known as WEP, is a security algorithm that is provided to wireless networks, with the intention of providing far better security than a traditional wired network. With its security protocol and configuration, WEP deals in encrypting data between the computers connected through a wireless network and the router. Through the administration interface, a Network Security key comes into being on the router. It is this key that is provided to all the systems that share the Internet connection in the local area network, and it is entered into the wireless settings for the connection to the router.
Instructions to find the WEP Keycode on the computer
Finding the WEP Keycode may not be easy for most of the users who are often not exposed to the wireless settings of a computer. However, following the below instructions can make the task much easier for amateur users.
Step 1: On the desktop screen, click on the ‘start’ button and then select the ‘Control panel’ option.
Step 2: Click the icon that says ‘Network and Sharing Center’. If you have a different version of an Operating System that doesn’t have this option, you can select the option of ‘Network and Internet’ and then choose ‘Network andSharing Center’.
Step 3: On the left hand panel of the screen, click on the link that says ‘Manage wireless networks’.
Step 4: Here you will find a list with names of different connections and you need to double click on that name to which the WEP keycode is assigned.
Step 5: a window will open and you need to click on the ‘Security’ tab which can be there at the top of the window.
Step 6: Then you need to check the box which is there just next to the option of ‘Show characters’, which would result in the display of the WEP key characters.
If checking the box doesn’t show the WEP key code, then you would need to access the router’s settings. For this, you can refer your router’s instruction manual and follow few additional instructions as below.
Step 1: The computer should be connected, with a DSL cable, to any of the ports at the back of the router.
Step 2: Open the web browser (For example, Internet Explorer) and type 192.168.1.1 in the address window, which will bring you to the Login window.
Step 3: Refer your manual for Login instructions. However, if you don’t have the manual, you can enter both the Login name and password as ‘admin’ or enter the Login name as ‘admin’ and leave the password field blank.
Step 4: Once you enter into the configuration page, click on the ‘Wireless’ tab at the top of the window, followed by a click on the tab ‘Wireless Security’.
Step 5: A number of WEP keys would appear, so use the one that is listed as first which is a combination of letters and numbers.
To remember your WEP Keycode in future, you can also make a note of these characters or copy and paste it in an MS Word or notepad file.
